Crowdsourcing: Help Jen Dziura Pick Her Wedding Dress!

Jen is getting married! Jen needs to wear a dress to get married. Should Jen wear this non-white Monique Lhuillier dress?

Sorry! This poll is now closed.

If you think she should not, do you have another suggestion? If you top this, and Jen actually chooses your suggestion, I’ll send you some swag. I don’t know what. Probably a box full of beauty stuff. You know. To help you land a man.

Some things Jen notes that you may or may not want to take into account. I mean, you should probably take them into account if you want a free box of random beauty swag but I don’t know you, or how you make decisions:

There will be no bridesmaids. [EIC NOTE: all I want is to be a maid of dishonor]. Also, no aisle. No groom-not-seeing-me. I will actually just be there, like a normal person, when people arrive. I’ll be like, “Welcome! I am wearing a dress! And having a party! I am not a virgin and you already know what I look like, so let’s get this over with and drink!”

Can be repurposed for the Oscars, should I simply happen to be attending.

Off the rack. I don’t need tailoring! Sorry to be the bitch everyone hates, but everything ever made in my size by any designer ever, fits me. Seriously. Every time I try something on, it fits. I’m the one they make all the clothes for. I didn’t ask for this privilege, but there it is.

Bonus points for as snooty a designer name as possible within that price range.

No vintage. I don’t care how hip it is, I like new things. I also don’t read library books, because someone else might have read them on the toilet.

Jen, can we please hear more about your no bridesmaids no bullshit ceremony?? I’m not married, but I hate wedding traditions and have never been able to figure out how people planned nice ceremonies without them. Please share!

Jennifer Dziura

Hi Goldie,

A couple of years ago, I attended a friend’s wedding that seemed pretty traditional — the bride wore a white dress and walked down a garden path to meet the groom; they were married by a judge one of them had clerked for. Then we walked to the manor house where the reception would be held. There was dinner, there were toasts. At some point, I noticed that people were dancing (dinner and dancing were in two separate rooms). The food was great and the centerpieces were stacks of antique books the couple had picked up for months from used bookstores. We were encouraged to take the books. At some point, cake became available. It was lovely! Only on the way home, on the train, did I realize: There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen, there was no ritual dancing (as in, bride and groom only, then bride-with-dad and groom-with-mom — awkward!), there was no ceremonial cake-cutting or face-smushing. Certainly no garter. I don’t think a bouquet was tossed. It was fantastic. A wedding for grownups, relatively untouched by the wedding-industrial complex! I admired the wedding even more in retrospect, once I realized all the uncomfortable silliness I’d been spared. I was just invited to a great party where my friend was happy.

Also, keep in mind that if you don’t need to hide yourself and walk down an aisle like a pretty princess, you have thereby GREATLY increased your choice of wedding venues. You could get married in a restaurant, for instance. Or outdoors. Or on a boat. Or basically anywhere.

I also feel like, if you already live with your fiance, and your friends and relatives have flown in from out of town, why spend the first hour (when everyone arrives!) hiding in a back room, messing with your appearance? Why not, you know … greet everyone and thank them for coming?

(Hence the not-white dress. I do think greeting people before the wedding in a “wedding dress” would seem weird, whereas greeting people in a really nice dress that is not white is less weird. Maybe that’s just me.)

Those are my thoughts. We’ll see how it turns out.

Jen

Ms. Pants

Oh my holy pants. I’d wear that dress every single day for the rest of my life.

I’m sure you can always find someone to make a wonderful knock-off for you

porkchop

Are you SURE you can’t do vintage? Seriously, now that you’ve looked at that Lhuillier, you can’t go back to new dresses that are under 2k. You can’t. Vintage is the only way. This Howard Greer could have spent its whole life in a toilet and it would still be worth it.

Can’t wait to find out how your wedding goes because it is EXACTLY how I pictured I would get married because Standard Wedding Template weddings make me feel anxious.

No bridesmaids, no aisle, wearing a pretty dress and greeting guests with your man. Awesome! Super stoked for you and that dress is the bomb diggity. Woo, I’m happy I’m not alone or a weirdo for wanting a non-traditional wedding! Woo woo!

Ewa

I’m kind of sorry I have clicked “yes” without checking the price first – feels like I’ve failed to read instructions at a test:)

Jennifer Dziura

No no, I clicked “yes,” too! I think the consensus is that we would all like to wear this dress, if possible.

BTW, the ladies of TheGloss have really good taste! This is so fun.

It’s like, by having no bridesmaids, THE INTERNET IS MY BRIDESMAID.

Ms. Pants

This isn’t under $2,000 but it’s what I’d want to wear if I ever got married all fancy. (Let’s be honest, I ain’t ever getting married, period.)

Hi there I wasn’t going to comment but then I ended up spending my whole afternoon searching for dresses for you. So I hope you like at least one of them… Other than that I hope you have a Wonderful wedding and a very happy marriage! Lets get on to the dresses then. There are nine of them!:

Hi there I wasn’t going to comment but then I ended up spending my whole afternoon searching for dresses for you. So I hope you like at least one of them… Other than that I hope you have a Wonderful wedding and a very happy marriage! Lets get on to the dresses there are nine of them!:

Hi there I wasn’t going to comment but then I ended up spending my whole afternoon searching for dresses for you. So I hope you like at least one of them… Other than that I hope you have a Wonderful wedding and a very happy marriage! Lets get on to the dresses there are nine of them!:

victoria

Hi there I wasn’t going to comment but then I ended up spending my whole afternoon searching for dresses for you. So I hope you like at least one of them… Other than that I hope you have a Wonderful wedding and a very happy marriage! Lets get on to the dresses there are nine of them

Why don’t you chose an amazing design that you like and then get it made for cheap by some seamstress somewhere, and source the fabric yourself in some magical sale. Even if designer stuff fits you – you could get the perfect dress for under 2k that way.

Jennifer Dziura

I think this is a good example of making something harder than it needs to be. I would never source fabric myself. And I would have to have meetings with a lady touching me! The very fact of having to do errands would ruin the dress for me. NO ERRANDS. This needs to be a one-shot purchase. No meetings, no fittings.

Also, I guess $2K is plenty rich enough for my blood. I don’t need a knockoff of something that costs more. And you ladies have such amazing suggestions!

I have purchased five dresses and will be returning, hopefully, only four of them. Yay!

G

Well go you! And congratulations!

I guess I love getting stuff made in colours I like and more quality fabrics for cheaper than off the rack because it makes me feel like I’m beating the system but I can understand your aversion to both the touching and the errands.

Lindee Daniel makes AMAZING dresses that are eco-friendly and she donates 10 percent of her earnings to charity :) they’re also a bit out of the box from the traditional. Here are a couple of my favorites:

But I have to recommend the lovely Lindee Daniel; her dresses are absolutely gorgeous, not to mention eco-friendly, and she donates 10 percent to the kids of Skid Row because she used to be an inner-city school teacher. Here are a couple of my favorites:

that Monique Lhuillier dress is gorgeous. stop faffing and go with it!

Alexis H

Kudos to you on actually going through with this idea. I’m getting married in July and wanted a non-traditional dress like that (I would have died for the one you just posted) but everything that I really, really liked was way out of my price range (I was trying to stay $1500 and under. Emphasis on under. I am poor.). I ended up settling for a “normal” white dress because it was crazy cheap, but it’s slightly quirky so I can deal with the compromise.

I will live vicariously through you and your fabulous Oscars dress, though, whatever it may be. Post pics when you choose, please.

Alexis H

Ugh, the gloss ate my comment the first time so I posted again. Now they’re both here. Is there a delete function I don’t know about?

Alexis H

I am so jealous that you’re going through with this! I had the same idea for my upcoming wedding, but couldn’t find anything in my price range that was glam enough (I was looking at $1500 and under. Emphasis on under. I am poor.). I had to settle for a normal white wedding dress, but it’s slightly quirky and it was cheap so I’m dealing.

I will definitely be living vicariously through you and your fabulous dress. I love the one you posted, I definitely say stick with it. And post pictures when you do choose!

Lindsey

I had SO MANY suggestions but my comments got gobbled. ): best of luck finding something, you slender and attractive being.

Cate

I say wear this dress, only because I was fantasy shopping the other day and mooned of this particular lovely dress for about fifteen minutes.

Sam

I posted this yesterday but I don’t think it worked :( So here it is again!